The Goddess Speaks Deborah Evans

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Small dramas play out on Saturday night

IT IS 10 o'clock on a Saturday night and the place is crowded. I sit at my favorite wine bar, where my husband plays music on weekends. Once in a while, when I get a hankering to be in the midst of a whole lot of energy, I come here, and tonight is one of those nights.

The drama that plays out in front of me is equally interesting. I get to witness first dates with all their shyness and best behavior. I'm privy to conversations about relationships that leave me chuckling. So much life surrounds me.

The place is abuzz with conversation and laughter. People mingle behind me, wine glasses in hand, side stepping waiters as they maneuver their way to tables. And amid all this hubbub my attention is drawn to a woman who has just entered the room.

She must be in her early 40s and she is gorgeous. Dressed in a slinky maroon dress with black fishnet stockings and strappy stiletto sandals, the woman makes her way to a table in the center of the room. I watch mesmerized, as she stands and lets her eyes sweep the room. She too has come alone, but what sets us apart is not only our attire, but the reasons we are here. This sister does not intend to leave empty-handed.

There is something intriguing about her, nothing cheap or trashy, quite the opposite. And judging by the looks the men are giving her, she's garnered their interest. I smile, silently giving a hoorah for women everywhere who have that unique ability to bring men to their knees simply by entering a room.

AT A SMALL TABLE against the wall is a lively party of eight young people. It's obvious that there is not a married couple among them. In most groups, one or two people stand out -- the jokester, the flashy one or the one who ends up knowing everybody, wherever they go. In this party it's a young lady who wears her red beret sassily slanted to one side. She literally oozes out of her low-cut, V-neck top that, fully aware of the effect she has on the guys. Enjoying every sideways glance, every turned head, she smiles her sweet smile.

Go for it honey, I think to myself. You might as well flaunt the girls while you're young and they still ride high, because it's quite a different picture once you've had kids and all.

A GUY is asking someone how many brothers and sisters they have. A girl answers and I can hear the smile in her voice. The conversation veers back to work and the office. I assume these two work together and someone finally got up the gumption to ask the other out. I sneak a peek their way. They're 20-somethings and wear first-date smiles. I hear myself sigh. Was that a sigh of remembering my own first date with my husband or was it a sigh of me being reminded how long ago that all was? I turn away, feeling like an interloper into such a private, sweet moment.

I'm handed my tab, it's time to leave. My spirit's been energized just by being here. And that intriguing woman in the fishnet stockings? On my way out I pass her table, where she sits with a glass of merlot and a strappingly handsome young man who has to be at least 10 years her junior. Hoorah!

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